We’re Smart® , the global reference for vegetable cuisine, has just announced its 2022 list of the best vegetable restaurants. De Nieuwe Winkel from Nijmegen (Netherlands) is the new “Best Vegetables Restaurant of the World”. The former number one, René Mathieu (la Distillerie) from Luxembourg, has become “Untouchable”.
Founded by chef Frank Fol, the We’re Smart® organisation is the undisputed benchmark in the world of vegetarian cuisine. It recognises the world’s best vegetarian restaurants and chefs and rewards companies and individuals who are actively contributing to a healthy and environmentally friendly world in its annual We’re Smart® Green Guide and through the We’re Smart® Future Awards.
The Top 10
Hundreds of restaurants around the world were visited by We’re Smart® World last year. The selection is rigorous, following the Think Vegetable! Think Fruit! philosophy of integrating sustainability and reducing the ecological footprint. The best restaurants are rewarded with 1 to 5 radishes and an entry in the We’re Smart® Green Guide, the new edition of which was presented on the 8th of November in Barcelona.
Here are We’re Smart® World’s Top 10 Best Vegetable Restaurants in the World, awarded five radishes:
- De Nieuwe Winkel (Holland — Nimègue), Chef Emile van der Staak
- El Invernadero (Spain — Madrid), Chef Rodrigo de la Calle
- Piazza Duomo (Italy — Albe), Chef Enrico Crippa
- Vrijmoed (Belgium — Gand), Chef Michaël Vrijmoed
- L’Oustau de Baumanière (France, Les-Baux-De Provence), Chef Glenn Viel
- Flore (Holland, Amsterdam), Chef Bas van Kranen
- L’Arpège (France, Paris), Chef Alain Passard
- Ricard Camarena Restaurant (Spain, Valence), Chef Ricard Camarena
- Eleven Madison Park (USA, New York), Chef Daniel Humm
- humus x hortense (Belgium, Bruxelles), Chef Nicolas Decloedt
The “Plantbased Untouchable” We’re Smart®
A “Plantbased Untouchable” Chef is a role model for chefs and vegetable lovers around the world. This title is only awarded to a Chef who has been at the top of the We’re Smart® World Top 100 for at least two years. He then becomes a member of the “We’re Smart wise” group and plays an advisory role in the We’re Smart® World.
This is the case of Chef René Mathieu, head of the Distillerie, who thus becomes an “Untouchable” with a privileged place outside the category. He is therefore no longer included in the Top 100 after being crowned Best Vegetable restaurant in the world for the past two years.
The Futures Awards
On the 17th of October 2022, We’re Smart® World also announced the Future Awards for innovative food companies launching sustainable and healthy products.
These include, among others:
- Product of the Year awarded to Sandro Desii for its A.O.V.E. vegan ice cream made with olive oil (Spain).
- Innovation of the year awarded to Yumgo (France) for reinventing eggs by offering a vegetable alternative to eggs, without allergens, based entirely on natural ingredients.
- The Media of the Year, an award that KACHEN was honoured to receive 2 years ago, was awarded to the culinary reports of the Japanese magazine Ryouri Oukoku Magazine and its online website Cuisine Kingdom.
Congratulations to all the Chefs, companies and personalities!
More information: www.weresmartworld.com
